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Sunday, 6 November 2011

Mini-Review: 'Gomorrah'

In an effort towards more reviewing, I've decided to do a few mini reviews. No more than a paragraph or two. Most of the time that's all you need to know anyway...

Gomorrah is to Italy what City of God is to Brazil, Animal Kingdom is to Australia, and A Prophet is to France: a slow burning, gritty and ultra realistic look into the criminal underbelly of Italy. I never knew Italy could be as terrifying as it is in those massive, filthy apartment complexes depicted in Gomorrah. This is a far cry from the suits and ties of The Godfather. Set in Naples, Gomorrah is based on a true story about the organised crime activities within the Camorra organisation.The narrative consists of 5 interwoven stories, which makes the film a little muddled at times, but it is ultimately eye opening, rewarding and extremely hard hitting.

Much like the films I mentioned above, Gomorrah uses gritty and realistic camerawork with one or two truly beautiful shots in between. For me the one that stood out the most is the one below: kids swimming and playing in a pool area amidst the filth and squalor around them, plus guys on the roof constantly checking for the Carabinieri. All in all, a great movie and definitely worth a watch. 8/10